Administration

Sensipar should be taken with food or shortly after a meal.

Sensipar tablets are administered orally and should always be taken whole and not chewed, crushed, or divided.

Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease on Dialysis

The recommended starting oral dose of Sensipar is 30 mg once daily. Serum calcium and serum phosphorus should be measured within 1 week and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) should be measured 1 to 4 weeks after initiation or dose adjustment of Sensipar [see Dosage and Administration (2.3)]. Sensipar should be titrated no more frequently than every 2 to 4 weeks through sequential doses of 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 mg once daily to target iPTH levels of 150 to 300 pg/mL. Serum iPTH levels should be assessed no earlier than 12 hours after dosing with Sensipar.

Sensipar can be used alone or in combination with vitamin D sterols and/or phosphate binders.

During dose titration, serum calcium levels should be monitored frequently and if levels decrease below the normal range, appropriate steps should be taken to increase serum calcium levels, such as by providing supplemental calcium, initiating or increasing the dose of calcium-based phosphate binder, initiating or increasing the dose of vitamin D sterols, or temporarily withholding treatment with Sensipar [see Dosage and Administration (2.4) and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].

Patients with Parathyroid Carcinoma and Primary Hyperparathyroidism

The recommended starting oral dose of Sensipar is 30 mg twice daily.

The dose of Sensipar should be titrated every 2 to 4 weeks through sequential doses of 30 mg twice daily, 60 mg twice daily, and 90 mg twice daily, and 90 mg 3 or 4 times daily as necessary to normalize serum calcium levels. Serum calcium should be measured within 1 week after initiation or dose adjustment of Sensipar [see Dosage and Administration (2.4) and Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].

Switching from Parsabiv (etelcalcetide) to Sensipar

Discontinue etelcalcetide for at least 4 weeks prior to starting Sensipar. Ensure corrected serum calcium is at or above the lower limit of normal prior to Sensipar initiation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)]. Initiate Sensipar treatment at a starting dose of 30 mg once daily.

Monitoring for Hypocalcemia

Once the maintenance dose has been established, serum calcium should be measured approximately monthly for patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism with CKD on dialysis, and every 2 months for patients with parathyroid carcinoma or primary hyperparathyroidism [see Dosage and Administration (2.2, 2.3)].

For secondary hyperparathyroidism patients with CKD on dialysis, if serum calcium falls below 8.4 mg/dL but remains above 7.5 mg/dL, or if symptoms of hypocalcemia occur, calcium-containing phosphate binders and/or vitamin D sterols can be used to raise serum calcium. If serum calcium falls below 7.5 mg/dL, or if symptoms of hypocalcemia persist and the dose of vitamin D cannot be increased, withhold administration of Sensipar until serum calcium levels reach 8.0 mg/dL and/or symptoms of hypocalcemia have resolved. Treatment should be reinitiated using the next lowest dose of Sensipar [see Dosage and Administration (2.2)].